“They’ve always been very open when it comes to talking about marriage, and often discuss what kind of wedding they’ll have. Now that Zayn and Perrie have got engaged, it’s naturally cropped up even more.

“So Louis thinks it’s time to make it official.

“In November, it’ll be two years since they fell in love, and he’s told pals he thinks it’d be a perfect time to properly ask her to marry him.

So sweet! (Image: Splash)

“He really wants her to know just how important she is to him.”

Louis has spoken about his relationship with the stunning model, saying: “I couldn’t be happier with her.”

"He did the traditional asking me and then he asked his mum and dad. It was fabulous, it was lovely. I was like a little marshmallow - it was so lovely."

Her brother, Jonnie Edwards, has also shared his congratulations, writing on Twitter: "Right, My sister and Zayn ARE Engaged! It's true! You seen the ring on the finger and all that Jazz! Congrats!!" (This tweet has so far been retweeted over 17500 times.)

Claudia Oliveira's tweet seemed to sum up the general mood from One Direction fans on Twitter: "I'm a Zayn girl and support the engagement...hurts me? very, but he is happy and that's what matters!"

However, this tweet seems more apt:

A source said of the engagement: "It was so romantic - Zayn popped the question over the weekend when they were alone together.

"It's one of the first weekends they've spent with each other as they've both been on tours with their bands. He wanted to wait for the perfect moment.

"All her bandmates were at V Festival and she couldn't wait to tell them. They're all really excited for her, as are the rest of One Direction for Zayn."